Liam Schilter5/4/147B-LAG. Ford Paper From the second Gerald Ford took office, he began working tirelessly to restore trust in our country. The 38th president, and many believe he was perhaps the bravest and most generous we've ever had. He dedicated much of his life to our country and showed courage even in the most difficult times. He is Gerald R. Ford, football star, Eagle Scout and straight-A student, President of the United States of America. Gerald Ford was born on July 14, 1913 in Omaha Nebraska as Leslie Lynch Jr. in a house his parents lived in with his father's parents. His parents were Dorothy Ayer Gardner and Leslie Lynch King Sr. Sixteen days after his birth, his mother separated from his father mainly due to physical abuse. Mrs. Gardner moved and took Leslie to a town in Illinois, where she lived with her sister and brother-in-law. From there, Dorothy Gardener took him to her parents, Levi Addison Gardner and Adele Augusta Ayer, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he would grow up. Dorothy and King legally divorced in December 1913, and Dorothy had full custody of her son. After two years of living with her parents, Mrs. Gardner married Gerald R. Ford, a salesman in a family business. They later named his son Gerald Rudolff Ford, Jr., although they did not legally change his name until years later. His new "parent" never really adopted him either, even though he was always called "daddy". He had three half-brothers from his mother, Thomas Gardner Ford, Richard Addison Ford and James Francis Ford. Ford had three other half-siblings, Marjorie King, Leslie Henry King and Patricia Jane King, although he never met them. Ford was oblivious to his special birth condition until he was seven years old...... middle of paper .... and for our nation, I want to thank my predecessor for all he did to heal our country. Ford was active after his presidency and made appearances. In October 2001, Ford told the Republican Party that gay and lesbian couples "[Should] be treated equally." As Ford aged, Ford suffered two minor strokes in 2000 and, in January 2006, he spent 11 days in the hospital. In November 2006, he was kept in a bed in his office President Ford suffered from coronary artery disease, stenosis. and aortic insufficiency, caused by a defect in one of his heart valves, died on December 26, 2006 at his home in Rancho Mirage, California. He was 93 years old (and 165 days old). of him the longest-serving president he became the 11th president to "lie in state", Betty Ford died on July 8, 2011. They now rest on the grounds of the Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan...